RECOMMENDED DESIGN PARAMETERS FOR THERMAL-CONDUCTIVITY PROBES FOR NONFROZEN FOOD MATERIALS

This paper analyzes the various design parameters of the thermal condu ctivity (k) probe and makes design recommendations for applications fo r nonfrozen food materials. The k probe is a simplified application of the line-heat source theory, but this simplification contributes to t he instrument error which can be minimized by paying particular attent ion to the size of the k probes and materials of construction As the d iameter of the k probe decreases, its accuracy increases; however smal l k probes are difficult to make. Therefore, it is recommended that us ers design their k probes using the highest acceptable error for their intended applications.